Lsff 2018 Press Release Final[2]

14th LONDON SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL

26-30 September 2018

The London Spanish Film Festival launches its 14th edition with an extraordinary line-up that celebrates the creativity and film craft of which Spain is so rich. With a program composed of ten feature films, three documentaries and four short films, we intend to offer the opportunity to enjoy empowering comedies, complex dramas, cinematographic poetry and informative documentaries.

We will open with Sin rodeos, from the acclaimed director Santiago Segura, an entertaining comedy that has been one of the national top box office performers in Spain. Another much acclaimed filmmaker will be closing the festival: Eduardo Chapero-Jackson will present Tócate, a literary-erotic film based on a collection of short erotic stories by a selection of authors including filmmakers and actors.

More political approaches take us to the fascist regime in Spain, with titles such us La higuera de los bastardos and Bones of Contention; whereas Soul proposes a delicious culinary journey revealing the secrets of two Three Michelin Star restaurants, one in Japan and one in the Basque Country. Another fascinating documentary, La Chana, presents us one of the greatest stars in the flamenco world, who has been captivating audiences worldwide with her innovative style and breathtaking use of rhythm for over 40 years.

Last but not least, we are proud to partner with Italian Cinema UK in the presentation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the classic western by Sergio Leone, which was shot in Spain in 1966, leaving some fascinating memories in the people and places where shooting took place.

We are also delighted to welcome several filmmakers that will present their work during the festival. We thank Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), which supports the participation of eight Spanish filmmakers: Marc Recha, Fernando León de Aranoa, Paula Cons, Elena Martín, Santi Amodeo, Ana Murugarren, Leticia Dolera and Vicente Villanueva in this edition of the Festival through the Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE), in the framework of the Mobility grants.

We are grateful to the filmmakers and producers who entrust us with their work, but we could not have achieved all this without the support of our phenomenal collaborators and sponsors, and the hard work of our wonderful team.

For the full programme go to www.londonspanishfilmfestival.com For further information, please, contact: Noemi Cuetos Fernández | [email protected] Joana Granero | 07733 164 053 | [email protected]

PROGRAMME

SIN RODEOS Empowered Dir. Santiago Segura, with Maribel Verdú, Diego Martín, Cristina Castaño, Toni Acosta, Santiago Segura, Cristina Pedroche | Spain | 2018 | 87 min. | cert. 15 | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere A remake of the Chilean No Filter, by Nicolás López, Sin rodeos follows Paz, a woman in her forties that is often ignored and is widely under appreciated. After a visit to an Indian healer, she feels she's loosing control over what she says, speaking out all that she thinks. The way to empowerment has no return. Santiago Segura, well known in Spain for his Torrente saga, treats us with an entertaining comedy that has been one of the national top box office performers in Spain.

Preceded by the short EL MIRAMIENTO Dir. Fany de la Chica, with Carmen Cabrera, María Alfonsa Rosso, Francisca Moreno, Lola Urea | Spain | 2018 | 5 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere El “miramiento” is a ceremony in which gypsy women check the virginity of a girl before she marries. On her “miramiento” day, Isa is not that sure she wants to proceed with the marriage...

Wed 26 Sep | 6.30pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

ANCHOR AND HOPE Tierra firme Dir. Carlos Marqués-Marcet, with Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin | Spain | 2017 | 113 min. | cert. 15 | In English and Spanish with English subtitles | Special preview courtesy of Network Releasing After his success with 10,000 Km, Carlos Marqués-Marcet teams up again with Natalia Tena and David Verdaguer in the dramatic and romantic comedy Anchor and Hope, in which the lesbian couple Eva and Kat see their relationship tested when Eva insists that she wants to have a child. When Kat's best friend, Roger, comes to the cramped boat in which they live, the possibility of him being a sperm donor opens the door to a multitude of new feelings as well as a new baby-planning frenzy.

Followed by a Q&A with the director and Prof. Maria Delgado

Wed 26 Sep | 8.30pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

LA HIGUERA DE LOS BASTARDOS The Bastards Fig Tree Dir. Ana Murrugarren, with Karra Elejalde, Pepa Aniorte, Carlos Areces, Andrés Herrera | Spain | 201 | 103 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere During the Spanish Civil War fascists used to pay visits to private houses at night to “clean” the new Spain from “rojos” and other undesirable people. Near the end of the War, one of those soldiers starts to torment himself with the idea that the little son of a man he's killed will kill him as soon as he turns sixteen. In order to avoid this, he takes some rather amusing measures. Murugarren's film is only her second as a director, but her wide experience as an editor contributes to making La higuera de los bastardos a balanced and nuanced take on a dark side of Spain's history.

Followed by a Q&A with the director, and with the producer Joaquín Trincado

Thu 27 Sep | 8.40pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

BONES OF CONTENTION Dir. Andrea Weiss, with Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Laura García Lorca, Emilio Silva | doc | Spain | 2017 | 75 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles | Special preview courtesy of Peccadillo Pictures The number of victims of the Franco regime buried anonymously along the roads and in the fields of Spain is still uncertain, but it is well over a hundred twenty thousand. Among them are the remains of Federico García Lorca, who has become the symbol for the recovery of the historical memory movement. Weiss, who has lived in Spain, explores in this film not only testimonies of the war atrocities but also LGBT oppression during the fascist regime.

Followed by a Q&A with the director and Prof. Maria Delgado (Royal School of Speech and Drama)

Fri 28 Sep | 6.30pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

LA VIDA LLIURE La vida libre | The Free Life Dir. Marc Recha, with Mariola Gomila, Macià Arguimbau, Blai Bonet, Sergi López | Spain | 2017 | 90 min. | cert. PG | In Catalan with English subtitles | UK premiere Tina and Biel are two children living in rural Menorca around the end of World War I with their uncle. One day they discover a treasure and with it they plan to buy their boat tickets and join their mother, who has gone to work to an African country. In order to do that they ask for help to Rom, a man who lives on the rocks by the sea on his own. In a naturalistic way, Recha captures like no one the innocence of children, their disappointment and their faith. Hélène Louvart's cinematography is breathtaking.

Followed by a Q&A with directors Marc Recha and Anna Petrus

Enjoy a glass of wine courtesy of Denomination of Origin Catalunya and celebrate with us our 10th Catalan Window

Fri 28 Sep | 8.40pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

CUANDO DEJES DE QUERERME When You No Longer Love Me Dir. Igor Legarreta, with Florencia Torrente, Miki Esparbé, Eduardo Blanco, Josean Bengoetxea, Miguel Oyarzun | Spain/Argentina | 2018 | 101 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish and Basque with English subtitles | UK premiere When Laura, who lives in Buenos Aires, receives the call from her uncle in the Basque Country with news about the unexpected discovery of her father's corpse, she travels to her family's home town with her stepfather, the good-humoured Fredo, who has been by her side since her mother's death. Once in the Basque Country, nothing seems to be what she believed it was and secrets linked to her family, the terrorist group ETA and the Franco regime come up in a painful way. Legarreta brings up in this thriller the complex Basque reality in good part of the 20th century and benefits of the nuanced performances of Torrente and Blanco in their beautiful relationship.

Sat 29 Sep | 4.00pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

JÚLIA IST Dir. Elena Martín, with Elena Martín, Oriol Puig, Laura Weissmahr | Spain | 2017 | 90 min. | cert. PG | In Catalan, Spanish, German and English with English subtitles Júlia is a young Architecture student from Barcelona who goes to Berlin for some months with an Erasmus exchange program. On her own for the first time in her life, she feels lost and out of place: the city, so unlike her hometown, is cold and grey, and she has to confront her expectations with reality. Young director Elena Martín succeeds in communicating the personal challenges and hesitations of a young student facing life.

Sat 29 Sep | 6.20pm | £12, conc. £10 | Ciné Lumière

LA CHANA Dir. Lucija Stojevic, with La Chana, Antonio Canales, Félix Comas Itxart | doc | Spain/Iceland/USA | 2016 | 83 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles She was one of the greatest stars in the flamenco world, captivating audiences worldwide with her innovative style and breathtaking use of rhythm in the 1960s and 1970s. Peter Sellers, with whom she features in The Bobo (1967), invited her to Hollywood. Instead, at the peak of her career, she disappeared from the scene. Stojevic looks at the clashes between La Chana's artistic career and her private life, as well as the position of women in Gypsy culture, as this talented woman prepares for a phenomenal final seated performance.

Followed by a Q&A with Steve Carr (Peña Flamenca de Londres) and Richard Cross (Program Manager, Sadler's Wells)

Sat 29 Sep | 6.30pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

EL AUTOR The Motive Dir. Manuel Martín Cuenca, with Javier Gutiérrez, María León, Antonio de la Torre | Spain/Mexico | 2017 | 112 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere Badly off, rather clumsy and unimaginative, Álvaro works as an accountant while he searches for inspiration to write a book. When he discovers that his wife, who becomes famous after her first novel, has been unfaithful, he moves to a new building and writes insistently, dreaming of a great novel that will surpass the success of his wife's. Adapted from Javier Cerca's novel The Motive, Martín Cuenca's film is darkly comic and insightful. Javier Gutiérrez won for his work in this film, not only the Best Actor Goya Award but several others. Followed by a Q&A with the director

Sat 29 Sep | 8.40pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

Preceded by an introduction by the director

Sun 30 Sep | 11.45am | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Dir. Sergio Leone, with Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee van Cleef | Italy/USA/Spain/West Germany | 1966 | 148 min. | cert. PG | In English Fifty years after its British release, Sergio Leone's last installment of his “Dollars trilogy” is considered one of the most influential westerns and remains a lesson on style. Made by an Italian team with heavy US financial investment, the film was shot in Spain, as it happened with so many westerns, leaving some fascinating memories in the people and places where shooting took place. Ennio Morricone's distinctive original compositions are the perfect accompaniment to the stunning landscape, the long and captivating shots and the stylish image of Eastwood with hat, poncho and cigar remains forever an icon in popular culture.

Preceded by an introduction

In collaboration with Italian Cinema UK.

Sun 30 Sep | 2.00pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

PENÉLOPE Dir. Eva Vila Purtí, with Carme Tarte Vilardell, Ramon Clotet Sala | Spain | 2017 | 94 min. | cert. PG | In Catalan with English subtitles | UK premiere According to a recent poll by BBC Culture, The Odyssey is the most influential story in world literature. It is mostly about a man trying to get back home, where his wife Penélope is waiting for him after a long absence. The story is so deep and complex that has served as inspiration to many writers - and reproduced clichés about women. Eva Vila follows here the slow and tired steps of Penélope/Carme, an old dressmaker who has been weaving and unweaving the clothes of an entire village and waiting with hope. One day Ramón returns to that same place, his birthplace, to reunite with his people after decades of absence. But no one recognises him. Not even her. Vila's is a poem reinterpreting the old myth in a stunning rural Catalonia.

Followed by a Q&A with the director of PENÉLOPE

Sun 30 Sep | 5.30pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

SOUL Dir. José Antonio Blanco and Ángel Parra, with Eneko Atxa, Jiro Ono, Carme Ruscalleda | doc | Spain | 2016 | 75 min. | cert. PG | In English and Spanish, Japanese and French with English subtitles | UK premiere If the Three Michelin Star honour is the line between haute cuisine and the rest, in this class there are different ways to approach it. Filmmakers José Antonio Blanco and Ángel Parra explore in this documentary the philosophy, conception and experience in the approaches of the young Basque Eneko Atxa, owner of the renowned Azurmendi restaurant in Biscay and the Japanese Master Jiro Ono, owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo - both awarded with the precious three stars. A cinematic and delicious culinary journey!

Preceded by the short CAMINAN Dir. Mikel Rueda, with Maribel Verdú, Germán Alcarazu | Spain | 2016 | 14 min. | cert. PG | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere Two lonely characters meet in a desolated road. Apparently they don't have anything in common, but when two people are looking for the same thing, they end up meeting.

Sun 30 Sep | 7.20pm | £12, conc. £11, University of Westminster students/staff £7 | Regent Street Cinema

TÓCATE Dir. Eduardo Chapero-Jackson, with Leonor Watling, Alberto Amman, Álex García, Verónica Echegui, Leticia Dolera | Spain | 2018 | 20 min. | cert. 15 | In Spanish with English subtitles | UK premiere Tócate is a literary-erotic film based on the book by the same title, a collection of short erotic stories by a selection of authors including filmmakers and actors. In an exquisite and stylish way, Chapero-Jackson delves into what Shakespeare defined as “traffic with thyself alone”.

Followed by a round table moderated by Antonio Molina Vázquez (SpainNOW!) with the director and other guests (tbc)